Modern game-play devices have developed capabilities of powerful computers as integrated circuit technology has become more advanced and incorporated into such game-play devices. Where traditional game-play devices ran exclusively on removable media, such as floppy discs, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), etc., and interaction with such games was solely by way of a joystick or other game control device, modem game-play systems are not so limited. Rather, a modern device can utilize powerful network and computing applications such as e-mail, instant messaging, web browsing, digital video recording, and the like. Additionally, gaming has progressed to an online arena, where players can synchronize their gaming systems with other players via an online server, and communicate, coordinate, and interface with other remote players while playing a game. Typically, such communication and coordination, as well as game registration and character setup, requires some type of information exchange, most notably voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) chat and/or text chat. For instance, chat in video games are VoIP implemented, whereas text usage on a gaming console can be utilized for email, web browsing, chat, etc.
Text chat has become an important aspect of modern video game consoles, including gaming consoles that facilitate online gaming. Traditional text chat implementations include text entry methods similar to entry of characters via a computer keyboard or similar keypad device. Such devices are collectively termed virtual keyboards (VKs). A VK device facilitates text entry by providing an onscreen replica of a physical keyboard (or similar key-pad device) and a selection cursor mapped to buttons on a game controller or joystick. A user can select individual characters by moving a cursor via joystick buttons, or other input segments, to a particular key of the VK representing a character and selecting that particular key (e.g., by pressing an accept button). Moving the cursor via the game controller or joystick to subsequent keys and selecting those keys facilitates selection of additional characters. However, this text selection method and/or input paradigm was designed for different devices (e.g., computer keyboards, physical computer keyboards, etc.) than game controllers, and is not always an efficient means to enter text by way of such a console. More specifically, such a device can be slow and tedious, as a cursor is typically moved from one key to another subsequent each selection. Furthermore, because each selection is based on a relative position of a key to a prior selected key (or prior position of a cursor), a user is required to view the VK display in order to enter text, often distracting them from concurrent computing activities (e.g., responding to game stimuli). Consequently, eyes-off input is very difficult, and visual distraction associated with VK devices is difficult to avoid.